Situation “B”

Several days ago, our agency presented us with a particular “Situation”, hereafter known as “Situation B”. From what I have learned about the way agency adoption works, prospective adoptive parents are presented with a “situation”, which details the story of the birth mother/father and why they feel adoption is the right choice for them. The race, gender and due date of the baby are also given. Once you agree that you are interested in adopting the baby, your profile will be presented to the birth mother/father. If several families are interested, all of the profiles will be shown. The birth mother/father then chooses a certain family to work with.

To protect “B’s” privacy, I won’t talk about what their particular circumstances are, but it was easy to see why these parents felt that now was not a good time to parent their new child. Since this was our first situation, we were struck with how large the need is for adoptive parents…but we were also struck with the realization that we can’t help every situation.

For us, a May due date was a little too early. We are still not finished with our Home Study, all of our paperwork, medical exams, reference letters, etc. We are a couple of weeks away from being a Home Study-ready family, at least. I didn’t want to feel rushed to get everything done AND prepare for a homecoming all at once. I have faith that this baby will be welcomed into just the right home for her, but we are just not ready to receive her.

I’m torn with regret and sadness over not being able to move forward and throw our hats into the ring. But I have just as much faith that the right situation will present itself when our hearts and home are ready. Every day that passes is one day closer to holding my little angel in my arms. Until then, paperwork it is! (And silent prayers for the lives of everyone involved in “Situation B”.)